The real heyday of the magic lantern shows, says Marsh, began in the 1780s with Etienne Gaspard Robertson’s Phantasmagoria shows. “They were absolutely extraordinary,” says Marsh.

A 150-year-old 'magic lantern' was used to display images from the stunning Cavanagh photographic collection, during a fascinating talk at St Mary's School during Heritage Week.

The images had been part of the lending library run by the family firm which first brought movies to Bradford. The magic lantern is an early type of projector developed in the 17th Century.